


Oasis

by The_Owl_Who_Writes



Category: U2 (Band)
Genre: not a whole lot of lovey dovey stuff but there is a really good friendship, oh wow there's magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:55:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23130541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Owl_Who_Writes/pseuds/The_Owl_Who_Writes
Summary: oasis, noun, /ōˈāsis/1: a fertile or green area in an arid region2: something that provides refuge, relief, or pleasant contrast
Relationships: Bono/Adam Clayton
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	Oasis

**Author's Note:**

> wow, i haven't published anything since august of 2019. i have been extremely busy with school and life, and right now as i type this, i have been at home for the week due to the covid-19 crisis. but we are all still here, and i cherish the fact that the people close to me are safe. 
> 
> i don't have much to say now to be honest. usually i write long notes, but not this time. 
> 
> many thanks to my beta reader i-blame-this-on-sherlock for all her advice and research she gave/assisted me with. this has been in the works for 5 months now (i originally intended this to be done in 3 weeks) but i think that it's decent enough to publish. 
> 
> please stay safe out there, and make sure you wash your hands. much love :)

There once lived a fox, and the fox lived in a forest. The fox had pale, silver fur and wide dark blue eyes like a storm out at sea. When the fox was born, he had been given a task by the spirit of the forest. As the fox grew up, he learned to accept the role and became quite good at the task. The fox was the protector of the forest. He knew of every place in the forest and befriended all the creatures. The fox enjoyed this role greatly, but there was always a nagging feeling deep inside the fox. He felt as though something was missing, that there was more to his life. 

Next to the forest was a small town. All the creatures, including the fox, had all been warned when they were young never to enter the town. But the fox was always curious about the town. One night, the fox decided to slip out to the town. As he raced down the path, he thought about how he was going against what he had always learned, but he just had to explore the town. 

At first, the town surprised the fox at first. There were so many people and they were all moving so fast. The fox had to constantly slip through people's legs to avoid getting hurt. There was a small building with an open doorway, and the fox slipped through. Inside were tables, more people, and a cacophony of voices and music. Crouching, the fox crawled under a full table. 

While under the table, the fox lost track of time. He became captivated by all the voices, and how happy all people seemed with each other. Eventually, the fox had to leave to go back to the forest. As he raced back as the sun rose, he realized that being in the town and being with those people was what he was missing. 

\----

After that night, the fox made his way back to the town every single night. He found out that the same group of people who he had found the first night he had explored stayed at the table night, and the fox would curl up underneath the table and listen to their conversations.

One night, as the fox ran through the night to get to the town, the moonlight shimmered through his fur. His heart was full. 

However, he was quickly stopped. There a tall man standing over the fox. He was thin and had on a dark brown coat and hat. His eyes were the same color as his coat and hat and he had a small smile on his face.

"Hello," he said, "My name is Moreau. I work as a scientist. You're that fox I keep seeing, underneath that table?" Stunned, the fox nodded. 

"I've watched you before. You really seem interested in them."

"Oh yes," the fox replied, "I would do anything to be a part of them." The scientist was silent for a moment before he said,

"You know what? I can help you," he got down onto one knee so he was closer to the fox's face, "In this coat pocket, I created a pill. It will be able to transform you into a human being, so you can be with them." The fox was filled with joy, he barked and pawed at the scientist's coat, but he laughed, 

"Not so fast. I can't give it to you for free. We have to make a little deal. In exchange for what I'm about to give you, you have to give me something in return. What do you have for me?"

"I have love. All the love for them. My heart is full of joy." 

"That's cute and all, but it isn't enough for me." The fox got anxious, what else did he have? Then he saw the evergreens behind the scientist. It was the biggest risk he could take, what would happen to all his friends, and the plants, the streams? But he truly wanted to be among the townspeople. 

"I have…" his voice wavered, "My home. The forest just behind you." The scientist's lips curled into a sneer. 

"Well, my friend," he pulled out a small white pill, "we just might have our deal." The fox, happiness filling his thoughts, greedily ate the pill from the scientist's hand.

At first, nothing happened. Then, the pain seemed to happen all at once. The fox felt sick, a dull throbbing pain pulsing through his head. His vision blurred and he felt himself staggering. Someone laughed, but it felt distant, and which direction did it come from? The fox tried to take a step in the direction of the laugh but fell. His body was trembling. Has the scientist given the right thing? Soon, the fox blacked out, the pain unbearable. 

\----

When the fox came around, someone had wrapped a blanket around him. The pain in his head was muzzy, and his entire body was stiff and sore. He let out a small moan. 

"Rest," a familiar voice said, "You need it." His heart fluttered. Had the pill actually worked? He tried to sit up but was clumsy and awkward. He felt incredibly weak and he fell back into the blankets with a soft thud. The voice laughed softly,

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just here to help." The fox sighed. 

"Oh, what's your name? I don't know what to call you." The fox had never given himself a name before. His mind raced frantically for the first name he could think of. He remembered a story someone (he couldn't remember who) had told him once, of the first man to be created. He felt that the name would be fitting for him in this situation. 

"Adam." He finally croaked out.

"I'm Bono." But Adam was already fast asleep in the sea of blankets. 

Only Adam wasn't fully asleep. He tried to close his eyes and drift off, but he couldn't. His body hadn't fully adjusted to not being nocturnal anymore. He laid in the dark, listening to Bono's slow breathing as he slept. Across the room was a window. Although the curtains had been drawn, a small sliver of moonlight shone through onto the floor. Sheepishly, he swung his newfound legs down and tried to stand. It instantly felt strange and Adam felt wobbly. It felt more natural to be on all fours for him. Crawling on his hands and knees, Adam made his way across the room. On his knees, he swept past the curtain with his hand. The moon was full, and it’s white glow seemed to illuminate everything. Adam looked down at the street below, watching the few people keeping the night alive. In the distance, Adam could see the forest, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. But he was here, he had finally made it. 

He heard Bono stirring, and he turned, alarmed. But Bono was only mumbling in his sleep. Adam turned back, and he continued to watch everything in awe. He finally fell asleep as the moonlight faded and the sun began to rise. 

\----

Slowly, Adam became accustomed to living with humans. He quickly picked up on their habits and customs and began to fall in love with certain aspects. For example, he loved the art that they made and spent hours getting lost in museums. He became better acquainted with Bono, who spent his days as a writer and poet. At night, Adam would follow Bono out to the nearby pub, where they would sit and talk for hours with Bono’s close friends. His friends all accepted Adam and it wasn’t long before Adam felt like he truly had found his place. 

One night, however, both Bono and Adam decided against going out to the pub. A storm was starting to roll in, and they had both decided against going out and risking getting soaked. Adam sat on the bed and listened to Bono’s pen scratch against his notebook. Adam didn’t know when he had fallen asleep, but he did, and suddenly he began to dream. He began to dream of the forest. Only it wasn’t the forest he remembered. The trees were stripped bare of their leaves, all the green and gold had been replaced with grey. He couldn’t find any life in the forest. Something had gone terribly wrong. 

When Adam opened his eyes, he couldn’t erase the image of the forest from his memory. He felt jittery every time he thought about it and became worried. What if he had been a part of the dream, that he had caused it. But as those questions grew, so did the sense that he should return to the forest. He looked toward Bono, who had fallen asleep with the pen in his hand. He thought against waking him and silently slipped away. As he made the trek back to the forest, the wind slowly began to pick up. 

\-----

The forest was exactly how it had been in Adam’s dream. It felt unreal to Adam, how could somewhere that had been full of life and joy suddenly lose all of it? What could have happened? 

Suddenly Adam stumbled over something hard and metal. After gaining his balance, he looked down at what he had almost tripped over. It was a cage. Adam knelt down and noticed that there was a rabbit in the cage. Its large green eyes stared blankly back at Adam. 

“Poor thing, who put you in this cage?” Adam whispered to himself. He fumbled with the lock on the cage, and eventually, with a click and a pop, the door to the cage opened. Tentatively, the rabbit stepped out of the cage. It looked up at Adam, before hopping away quickly. 

“Why did you do that?” A voice asked, and Adam spun around. Standing over him was Moreau. He was frowning.

“That rabbit didn’t deserve to be in the cage,” Adam replied,

“You don’t deserve to be here. Remember our little deal? That rabbit was for my experiment!”

“Your experiment? Why are you running experiments on animals? That wasn’t part of our deal.” Adam’s voice was wavering now. 

“Oh, but you said I could have the forest. I can do whatever I like with it.”

“You’re the one whos responsible for why the forest looks like this.” Moreau sneered. Adam shook his head, standing. 

“You won’t get away with this!” Adam tried to lunge towards Moreau, and Moreau raised his arm. Adam felt his cheek sting badly, and it was the last thing he could remember before he blacked out. 

\-----

When Adam opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Bono, a worried expression painted on his face. 

"Are you okay? Did something happen, you just ran off and I woke up and got worried and-" 

"I'm fine," Adam said, cutting him off, "I can't tell you where I went." His hands were shaking. What had happened after Moreau had hit him? Did the rabbit escape? How did he end up back here? 

And then he saw. It was just a shadow, right behind Bono, but he recognized it immediately. And the feeling that was settling inside his body he recognized too.

"Adam? Adam, you look really pale, do you need me to get you anything?"

"Get away from me." He said, his voice cracking. It couldn't happen, not here in front of him. 

"What?"

"I said, get away from me!" 

"Adam please, let me help." Bono stood and the pain became too unbearable. Adam screamed, and he could feel his body changing. He closed his eyes, too ashamed to look at his friend and the look that must be on his face. When the pain slowly subsided, he opened his eyes and his vision was stained with his tears.

Strong hands roughly grabbed him and jerked him into the air. Adam struggled against the force, and a sharp, cold voice sneered, "Don't you dare."

"Put the fox down!" Bono cried, "Who are you, where did you come from, and where's Adam?" 

"Oh," Moreau said, looking at Adam, "You didn't tell him?" 

"Tell me what?" 

"Why don't you tell him now?" His grip tightened around Adam and he yelped. 

"Stop! You're hurting the fox!" 

"Fine!" Adam sobbed, he forced himself to look at Bono, "I'm not human! I'm a fox! That forest nearby, that's where I live, I'm supposed to protect it. But one day, I saw you and your friends and I wanted to experience that. So I made a deal with this man, and in exchange for my transformation, I let him have the forest. But I had a dream that the forest was dying, so I ran away to try and fix the problem."

"And look at how well that went," Moreau said. Adam tried to kick himself away, but it did nothing.

Bono walked towards Moreau,

"You won't get away with this. You'll let him go." Moreau gave a small laugh,

"Oh, you know nothing, don't you?" Adam noticed something in Moreau's palm. It glinted in the light. It hit Adam suddenly what the object was. He tried to cry out, to warn his friend. but it was too late.

And Adam howled. 

\----

Adam had never felt rage like this before. It bubbled inside him and it made him feel sick. He thought of Bono, and what had happened to it. Adam had wanted to escape to his side, but Moreau had been quick, and before Adam had any time to move, he was being shoved into a tiny cage. He hated Moreau, and the first chance he got, he would kill him.

The cage was dark, and Adam kept getting slammed against the metal bars, but eventually, it all stopped, and he was dropped to the ground. He was back in the forest, the black tree branches curling into created a barrier where the night sky couldn't get in. Adam stood, growling. He tried to leap at Moreau but was struck down with one quick, stinging slap in the muzzle. 

"You never learn, do you?" Moreau said, glowering over Adam. Adam gained his standing again, only to be knocked down again by Moreau. 

"This forest is mine. The game is over. You've lost everything, and there's nothing you can get back." 

"What are you going to do with me?" Adam asked, and Moreau laughed softly, creeping closer and closer to Adam, the same silver knife still in his hands. It still had a shimmer on red on it. Adam turned and tried to escape, but his paws slipped from underneath him. As Moreau got down on his knees, Adam could almost see a figure of Bono, a fragment of a memory. 

Only it wasn't a memory. There was Bono, standing right behind Moreau, holding his left arm with a cloth. Adam made a noise, a squeak, and Moreau turned. Bono lunged at Moreau, and the two were pushing and fighting each other. Adam made it up and scampered to the bag that kept Moreau's concoctions. But as he used his nose to push them aside, he realized he had no idea which one would turn him back to human, which one would help Bono, which one would save the forest. He felt desperate and hopeless. 

Suddenly, an eerie silence filled the air. Bono and Moreau had stopped fighting. Adam turned, and what he saw froze him.

All of the creatures who called the forest their home were coming out of the shadows. They had stopped to watch the three of them. They were all looking at Moreau. 

Moreau shoved Bono off him. He looked towards Adam,

"You. How dare you trick me like this." 

"I don't know what you're talking about," Adam said, he really didn't. One of the animals stepped forward towards Moreau, it was the rabbit that had slipped away from Moreau when Adam had first returned. The rabbit looked at Moreau, and Moreau tried to smile back at them, as if the two were close acquaintances. He opened his mouth to speak, but the rabbit swiped at him with a sharp claw. Moreau shut his mouth in horror and held a hand to his face. Adam could see that Moreau's fingers were covered in blood. More of the animals were coming closer to Moreau. Moreau looked towards Adam, his eyes full of desperation. He mouthed the words "help me" to him, but Adam shook his head no. 

The creatures lunged at Moreau, attacking him. He screamed out in pain. Adam ran over to Bono, who was struggling to get to his feet. 

"We need to leave, now," Adam yelled over all the noise. He looked around for a place to escape. They were surrounded by raging creatures, Moreau's desperate apologies and begs of mercy. He noticed all the trees, and he came up with an idea. He tugged at Bono's sleeve, and as soon as he got his attention, he raced and began to climb up the nearest tree. He clawed desperately at the flaking tree bark, but he managed to climb up to a steady, large branch. Bono was trying to climb the tree, but his injured arm was not helping. Making sure he had his balance, Adam leaned over and grabbed part of Bono's shirt and began to pull him up. He pulled and pulled until he feared that he would fall off the tree branch. Bono quickly scrambled up the branch and held Adam in his arms. 

Down below, he heard Moreau's cries and apologizes. He heard Moreau's begs to grow distant. He heard Moreau let out one long wail, and he buried his face in Bono. Adam couldn't bear to look at what was happening. 

Silence filled the air.

\-----

It began to rain. Not the light drizzle, but the pouring rain that soaks you to the bone. 

Adam helped Bono down from the tree before Adam leaped nimbly down. His four paws landed in mud. Bono laid on his side in the mud, holding his wounded arm, his breathing shallow, face pale. 

"We have to help your injury." He tried to nudge Bono's hand away to see the wound but Bono shook his head. 

"Don't worry….about….me." He whispered, closing his eyes. 

"I'm going to go find help." Bono didn't respond.

But Adam couldn't find anyone. He searched every corner of the forest, but it seemed as though everyone had abandoned their home. Dejected, he walked back to Bono, who still had his eyes closed. 

"I couldn't find anyone." He said. Bono didn't say anything. He seemed awfully still. Adam became worried. 

"Bono? Bono, wake up." He nudged Bono, and he still didn't open his eyes. Then he noticed how cold Bono was becoming. Adam panicked, it couldn't have happened. 

"Bono! Come on! Wake up! Wake up please!" His eyes began to water, "This isn't funny! Please wake up Bono! Bono!" Bono didn't stir, and Adam felt numb. This wasn't happening. Bono would open his eyes at any moment now, right? 

Only he didn't. And Adam felt the same anger he felt before rising up in him again. It was his fault that the forest was dead, and his friend was gone. He paced back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. He went up to the nearest tree he could find and began to scratch at the tree bark on it. He went faster and faster until there was no more bark on the tree. Exhausted, he looked towards Bono and he hadn’t moved at all. Adam wanted to scream at Bono to wake up, but he knew it wouldn’t do anything. Shaking, he lashed out and pawed at his face. Adam didn't mean to use the amount of force he did, for when he pawed Bono, he had scratched his face. Tiny red drops of blood dripped down his chin. And Adam burst into tears. 

When Adam’s eyes felt dry, and his chest hurt from crying, he curled up in a ball next to Bono. He felt ashamed of what he had done and he wished that none of it would ever have happened. He wished that he hadn’t been curious and gone and explored the town, he wished that he had never met Moreau and made the deal, he wished that he hadn’t become close friends with Bono. Adam wished that he could never open his eyes ever again. 

\----

Adam did not know how long he had shut his eyes before he felt someone kneeling next to him. He opened his eyes. Could it be that what had happened was all just a nightmare? Maybe the forest hadn’t been destroyed, maybe Bono was still alive, maybe Adam hadn’t been transformed back into a fox. 

It wasn’t like that at all. The forest was still dark, cold, and rainy. Bono laid there, eyes closed, unmoving, his lips tinted blue. Adam’s heart sunk with disappointment. He felt like crying again, but he couldn’t seem to muster up the tears to do so. He laid his head between his paws. 

A gentle hand ran through his fur. He didn’t bother to look up. 

“Oh little fox,” the voice said softly, “You’ve been through a lot, I can tell.” Adam’s ears perked up at the voice. He recognized the voice from when he was a tiny kit. He opened his eyes and looked up in the direction of the voice. There was a woman, brown hair cascading down her back in waves, her skin so white it almost looked transparent. She wore all black, and her eyes were clouded over, hiding her electric green irises. She gave a feeble smile. 

This wasn’t right, Adam thought to himself. This wasn’t how he remembered her. When the forest had been in bloom, so had she. She gave the forest it’s magic. She was the forest’s spirit, and now that there was none left, she was nothing too. 

“I failed you,” Adam mumbled softly, “You gave me the task to help protect the forest. I didn’t do that. I ran away. When I realized what had happened, I tried to come back and fix it all. But I made everything worse.”

“You didn’t fail me. You were curious, and you followed what you believed was good and true for you.” 

“But it wasn’t what was right for me. It wasn’t what was set out for me when I was born.”

“But you seemed to cherish living among people in that little town. You were happy then, weren’t you?”

“Yes, but I can’t switch between my role here and living out there. There was only one person who I knew could do that. But he lured me into this mess. I don’t know how I would be able to go between the two, the world I was born into, and the world I want to be in.”

“But what if I told you there was a way to go between the two?” Adam tilted his head, “You don’t have to limit yourself. Life is a scale, and the only way to truly enjoy it is to find balance. And you didn’t fail me or this forest. Life knocks us all down, and we must all get back up, one way or another. Anyway, I have something for you. Go ahead, just step your paw into it.” Adam looked at her outstretched palm, and in the center of it was a bracelet made out of jade. Tentatively, Adam placed his paw into it. He felt something warm run through his body and he felt himself changing, only it wasn’t as painful as it had been with Moreau. When it was all over, Adam stared at his own hand, which now rested atop of hers. The jade bangle seemed to be smaller now as if it didn’t want to leave his wrist.

“As long as you wear that, you will be able to go between worlds. The forest will be protected by the magic in it. Oh, and before I forget, don’t ever lose sight of what you truly love.” She stood and placed a hand on Bono. Adam watched as the color returned to his cheeks and the blue faded from his lips. As she moved her hand aside, Adam noticed the small scar on his chin where Adam had scratched Bono. Adam opened his mouth to speak, but she was already gone. The rain had begun to let up into a few droplets. Bono took a shaky breath, and slowly opened his eyes. The first thing Bono saw was Adam looking down at him, smiling.

“Hi,” Adam said gently,

“What happened? Where are we? Why are we covered in mud? What about all the animals, weren’t you a fox, what about-” Bono stammered, but Adam shushed him,

“I’ll explain everything from the beginning. You have no idea how many twists and turns there are that lead me to be here.”

\-----

Following the advice he had been given, Adam never took off the bracelet. During the day, he looked after the forest, who was beginning to show its lushness again. He made sure to maintain his friendships with all the inhabitants and warded off any evil that tried to slip back into the forest. And at night, Adam would slip out and he would morph back into being a human and spend hours talking with Bono. 

One early morning, as Adam walked back to the forest, he stopped to watch the sunrise. He thought back to the first night, where he had watched the moon and the sunrise out the window. As the hues of pink and orange and blue melted together, he remembered how he felt that he had finally found his place, in that room looking out on the town. But now, he realized, that wasn't where he truly belonged. 

It was here, and Adam was perfectly content with that. 


End file.
